- O'Rourke, P. J.
Driving Like Crazy.
New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2009.
ISBN 978-0-8021-1883-7.
-
Sex, drugs, fast cars, crazed drivers, vehicular mayhem spanning the
globe from Manhattan to Kyrgyzstan, and vehicles to die for (or in)
ranging from Fangio's 1939 Chevrolet racer to a six-wheel-drive Soviet
Zil truck—what's not to like! Humorist and eternally young
speed demon P. J. O'Rourke recounts the adventures of his reckless
youth and (mostly) wreckless present from the perspective of
someone who once owned a 1960 MGA (disclaimer: I once owned a 1966 MGB
I named “Crunderthush”—Keith Laumer fans will
understand why) and, decades later, actually, seriously contemplated
buying a minivan (got better).
This collection of O'Rourke's automotive journalism has been
extensively edited to remove irrelevant details and place each
piece in context. His retrospective on the classic
National Lampoon piece (included here) whose title
is a bit too edgy for our family audience is worth the price of
purchase all by itself. Ever wanted to drive across the Indian
subcontinent flat-out? The account here will help you avoid
that particular resolution of your mid-life crisis. (Hint: think
“end of life crisis”—Whoa!)
You don't need to be a gearhead to enjoy this book. O'Rourke
isn't remotely a gearhead himself: he just likes to drive fast on
insane roads in marvellous machinery, and even if your own
preference is to experience such joys vicariously, there are
plenty of white knuckle road trips and great flatbeds full of
laughs in this delightful read.
A podcast
interview with the author is available.
July 2009 